To Live in Darkness
by SaOtOmE AP
Summary: Ranma seems to attract people with grudges just about every other day. This time, his opponent doesn't bear him any ill. It just so happens that this particular stranger has to kill him... but why?
1. A Shadow

"To Live in Darkness"

"To Live in Darkness"

by SaOtOmE AP

a Ranma ½fanfic!

Disclaimer:I do not own any of the characters appearing in this fic.All of them belongto their respective owners and I am using them without permission. No copyright infringement intended,so don't sue me.I don't have any money.

Author's Notes:

Here's the first chapter of yet another fanfic.I hope you enjoy this.Any comments and suggestions are welcome.Flames are funny and will be appropriately laughed at.I don't intend to use any particular timeline as I feel it isn't necessary.I believe you would call this a divergence,or somethinglike that.On with the story then!

* thoughts*

"speech"

foreign languages

Chapter 1

_"A Shadow"_

_Nerima District – present day_

Shivering in fear (although she would say cold), the petite form of a shapely girl trudged along under a heavy curtain of rain,her curves easily noticeable against the wet fabric of her red silk shirt.Red bangs of hair matted down against her face, and her eyes seemed unfocused,as her mind was most probably occupied elsewhere.This evening held an impending sense of doom she couldn't readily ignore.

The fear within her was justified,by anyone's standards.Even being the one of the best (if not the best)martial artists of her generation didn't prevent her from this feeling of terror.The fate that awaited her at home was not one to be envied.Even her most bitter rivals would have felt pity had they known the horrors she was about to face.The place she called home was closer and closer with each step.*Better get this over with… not that I have any choice anyway*.

……..

The youngest Tendo,heir to the Tendo School of Anything Goes Martial Arts was engaged in a ferocious battle.Her adversary:the various foodstuffs contained within the assorted pots and pans strewn about the once spotless kitchen.

As the merciless massacre occurred,she once again wondered the current whereabouts of her wayward fiancé.*Where is that jerk!?*Engine oil and wasabi were then poured into what vaguely resembled miso soup.*I told him to be here at 7 … he'd better show up if he knows what's good for him!*There were still 5 minutes left,so she didn't really worry too much (by Akane standards anyway).She then refocused her attention to taming the rest of the rebellious platters which still refused to be put down."Dinner" would be ready soon.

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As the red-head arrived at the gate of the Tendo Dojo,she offered a quick prayer to the gods so they would at least grant her a quick deathwhen she faced the dreadful results of Akane's unique cooking.It was rumored that even the famous Kagero of the Koga Ninja would not be immune to the effects of such poison (if she were still alive,that is).

Ranma Saotome sighed as she sat herself down at the table, and called out to her would-be executioner..."Hey Akane, I'm home!".*Stupid old man, and the rest of them too!Left me here to face this alone.*"Oh good, Ranma, you're just on time.Dinner is ready!"Just as she answered her, Akane came out of the kitchen carrying a tray with, um, "Here you go Ranma:miso soup, negimaki chicken,and shirashi!I just got the recipes from that bookstore we went to yesterday, I hope you like them!!", Akane cheerily remarked.

Akane then brought the dishes from the tray to table one by one. "Yo Akane,at least let me change back into a guy...""What for?", she asked, "It's not like it makes any difference if you're a girl right now!", Akane answered."Well, if I'm gonna die, I'm gonna go with dignity!"That proved to be the unwise choice of words,as usual,and the results of such comment followed shortly thereafter.

The tray which Akane carried promptly became a weapon.Ranma's skull then suffered the consequences of provoking Akane's wrath, and she was thus rendered unconscious by repeated blows. It was,in a way,fortunate for the red-head.She would be spared from ingesting a potentially lethal meal.

Akane marched back into the kitchen and left all the food in the fridge.She considered it thoughtful to leave it there for later consumption.Little did she know that Nabiki already had plans to sell any leftovers to some company that needed to test some new armor they'd just developed.*Leave it to that jerk to ruin a perfect evening!*She snorted,and left Ranma sprawled on the floor right next to the table.She then went upstairs to finish some homework and to then get some much needed sleep.Today's efforts in the kitchen were taxing and she wasn't in the mood for much else.

……..

Her head hurt like hell,but she then noticed that she didn't feel any pain in her stomach.*Well,that's a relief.At least I don't have to rent a stomach pump from Nabiki again.*She then got up from the floor and stretched out a bit.*Man,no one even bothered to wake me up.Geez,what'd I do to deserve this!?*Ranma then got up and wobbled towards the kitchen,still a bit stunned from the blow.She then filled a kettle with water and lit the burner.Remaining female all night wasn't exactly a pleasant thought.As soon as the water was warm enough she poured the water over her head and a small smile grew on his lips as the water triggered the change.

The pigtailed martial artist got out of the kitchen and was about to head up the stairs when a slight sound caught his attention.

……….

A figure cloaked in darkness crept towards the door of the Tendo family's guest room.Its features concealed by a black outfit and the prevailing dark of the hall upstairs.How convenient for there to be a man shaped hole on the surface of the roof,it only made the current task much easier.As the living shadow opened the door to the room,its eyes widened in surprise at the sight of a panda snoring on top of a futon.It took an involuntary step back and caused a creak on the floorboards. *What's this!?*Its target was not in the room.

*I sense danger,I'd best hurry.*The Blue Thunder of Furinkan had said it himself.It was best to exercise caution when dealing with evil sorcerers and their black arts.Indeed,they were well known for their trickery and their ability to enslave people's minds.*I may well be facing a very powerful man,I can sense strong ki nearby*

Short,silent steps took the figure to the top of the wooden stairs and as it stepped down it met the very same person it was looking for.It could be none other.

……….

Both fighters tensed as they acknowledged each other's presence.Ranma took a loose stance as the shadowy figure drew a blade which was strapped on his back.With only a slight grunt the uninvited guest charged forward with the intent to skewer Ranma on the spot.Ranma Saotome skillfully avoided that,and the follow-upslashes that the attacker delivered.

Their fight took them toward the front porch and as the sword wielder came forth with a downward slash which was also avoided,the figure stepped into a sliver of moonlight coming in from a window and was revealed to be a man,a ninja to be more specific.His black doginow slightly visible for only a moment.His hair,as he wore no hood (only the bottom of his face was covered),was short.Oddly and most noticeably,it was also silvery grey.Very odd indeed,as he didn't look old at all.

Ranma didn't have time to ponder this as he was desperately dodging the razor sharp katana slashing at him at unnatural speeds.*This guy's way better than Kuno!But what the hell is he after me for!?*The ninja didn't give much of an opening as he was very quick,and any hits from him could very well result in a severed limb.

Ranma did what he thought was best in the present situation.He needed some space first,so he jumped right through the shoji doors and onto the lawn in front of the koi pond.The ninja followed right after and made a double criss-crossing slash towards Ranma who jumped a good 20 feet back towards the wall to give himself some space .

The intruder dashed forward towards his very skilled opponent in hopes of finishing him off as soon as possible before his allies came to his aid.*He is certainly skilled.A pity I must eliminate him…*

He was surprised once more when his target emanated a blue glow around him and charged ki into his hands.He checked his path before he would walk into the unexpected ki attack,but realized he was too late as the alleged sorcerer shouted "Moko Takabisha!!!",and fired off a massive ki blast which crashed into him with unbelievable force.

The last thing he saw before fading into unconsciousness was the pigtailed young man heading toward him and fell back silently wondering how his first defeat came about because of his slight case of overconfidence.He usually struck down his adversaries with one blow.If only he knew the irony… his opponent's confidence was in fact the direct cause of his defeat.

……….

Ranma took a few steps towards his opponent so he could check if he was unconscious.He noticed the lights in the house were already coming on as the rest of the family must have been awakened by all the racket the battle caused.Akane would somehow find the way to blame this on him.She wasn't too happy with him anyway.

Much to Ranma's surprise,it was the old pervert Happosai who came out of the house first.The aged grandmaster of the Anything Goes School came out of curiosity,knowing somehow that Ranma was involved in the current "situation".Also,a good grope was at hand, as he was currently carrying a bucket of water so he could splash Ranma with it."Hello Ranma m'boy!Give an old man his thrills!" 

"Don't even think about it,freak!",Ranma growled.Happosai stopped not because of Ranma's threat,but because his eyes fell upon the blade lying on the ground next to the knocked out ninja."Well,this is not something you see every day.""Uh, what is it?"By now,the rest of the household was already there with the exception of Genma,who was still merrily slumbering upstairs.Nabiki was there, looking on with a little irritation,and some curiosity as well.Akane just looked pissed,since she was woken up because of Ranma's fight.Soun just stood there still half asleep,but ready to shed tears a moment's notice.Kasumi said what first came to mind,"Oh my!It's a little late to be playing with your friends Ranma."

Everyone chose to ignore that comment.Sometimes they all wondered about Kasumi."So what are you babbling about,old freak?",Ranma asked,which earned him a bop on the head from Happosai's ever present pipe,courtesy of the diminutive pervert himself. "Be more respectful towards your master,boy!Ahem!As I was saying,this is not something you see every day…""What is it then?",Ranma asked,rubbing his now even more sore head."It's the legendary sword Izayoi.Not the kind of weapon your average ninja carries.""So?What's that got to do with anything?What's so special about it anyway?",again it was Ranma who asked,though the others were now curious as well.

Happosai then sat down on one of the rocks surrounding the koi pond after picking up said katana.He then began his explanation:"Well,for one thing this is the Azuma ninja clan's honor blade… and it belongs in a museum…"At that precise moment,the felled ninja started to come around.As he raised his head,Happosai got one look at the eyes of the recently defeated warrior and had to suppress a gasp."Rikimaru…", he mumbled,and then proceeded to faint, the sword Izayoi still in his hands.

To be continued…

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_More Author's Notes _

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Well,there goes the first chapter of hopefully many more.As many of you may have noticed,yes,this is a crossover with one of my favorite PSX games.Please review this story and I'd also like to ask you for your verily valuable C&C.Any reasonable questions will be answered if I have the time,so feel free to ask away.The posting of the next chapter depends on the response I get on this fic.Ciao for now!

SaOtOmE AP

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	2. The Shifting Sands

"To Live in Darkness"

"To Live in Darkness"

by SaOtOmE AP

a Ranma ½fanfic!

Disclaimer: (not that anyone bothers to read them) **IF I owned ****ANY characters from Ranma ½ or from Tenchu,I would be rich,and I wouldn't be writing fan fiction.Anyone who wants to sue me for this is wasting his/her time… I sure as hell don't make money off of this.Any characters I create,I own.That's it.**

Author's Notes:

Chapter 2 is finally up.I didn't get many reviews,but then again,for those who wanted more:here it is!My only series to date, and hopefully,the first of many more.I crave some C&C here,it is very important for a writer to know how he is doing in the eyes of others.Well,at least for me it is. 

* thoughts*

"speech"

foreign languages

Chapter 2

_"The Shifting Sands"_

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_Nerima district,__Japan___

_Present day_

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Kuno Tatewaki,the Blue Thunder of Furinkan High,was vexed.Once again,foul sorcerer Saotome had escaped his wrath.How could anyone defeat his invincible skills?No base martial art surpassed kendo.The only conceivable explanation was that Saotome Ranma was incurring in the aid of dark magic in his attempt to thwart the Blue Thunder.*The vengeance of heaven is slow,but sure!Saotome Ranma,your final hour is nigh…this I swear!*

With all the dignity he could muster,Kuno extracted himself from the pile of garbage he had been smashed into.The fight had been short,as usual.Kuno's divine task of freeing Akane Tendo and the pigtailed girl was proving more difficult in every step of the way.*Curses!I shall find a way to vanquish the dark sorcerer,but…*The feverish mind of Furinkan's kendo master struck upon an idea.*Saotome is a sorcerer.That fool,Gosunkugi deals with the dark arts as well.I shall enlist his aid,as his dislike of Saotome is a well known fact.*With that,Kuno Tatewaki walked away from the dumpster smelling most foul,but as Nabiki would put it,feeling like a million yen.

……….

*Oh Akane,if only you were not engaged to Saotome.You and I could be married and would be a perfect couple…*Gosunkugi Hikaru finished making his trademark voodoo doll,with pigtail and all and placed a nail on its "chest".*Saotome!You will pay!!!*He then swung his mallet… "YAAAAAAHHHRRRRRGH!!!",and his wail of agony was heard all around Furinkan High as the thumb holding the nail was punished in lieu of the straw doll.Life sucked.

"Greetings friend!",came an all too familiar voice from behind him,"I,Tatewaki Kuno have come to your aid in order to eradicate the demon known as Saotome Ranma!"*GROAN*"Upperclassman Kuno.""No need to express your joy at having my magnificent self aid you in the endeavor of defeating Saotome Ranma.I do this for selfless reasons,I assure you!For what is to be of Akane Tendo and the pigtailed girl…. Blah blah blah…"Gos ignored the rest of Kuno'srighteous ranting,and waited for him to get to the point (if there was any point in listening to Kuno).

Finally,said point was reached."…and I need for you to summon the greatest assassin of all time,a ninja by the name of Rikimaru,of the most prestigious Azuma clan.""Why would you do that?" "Because,my boorish friend,for a creature as base as Saotome,what better fate than to die by the hand of one who was known to have defeated the king of hell himself!",Kuno exclaimed.Hikaru's eyes widened in disbelief,"This ninja,Rikimaru,defeated Meioh!?I thought that was just a legend!"Kuno's demeanor turned serious, "No,it is no mere legend.I am well versed in the history of ninja clans,as my family has employed them as retainers for ages.Among the clans of the ninja,there shines one clan above all others.That is the Azuma ninja clan,known for being the most thorough and effective assassins and servants.Their loyalty was without peer and they would employ any means necessary to protect their lord."Kuno paused for effect,"Should you be able to summon the ninja Rikimaru and bring him to our time,we may be able to strike a bargain with him as he should willingly assist us in eliminating a being of evil in exchange of his passage to the period from whence he came."

For once,Gosunkugi Hikaru was impressed.He could not fault Kuno's logic,or assume the plan was doomed to failure.Now the question was:Was he capable of performing such a spell?*Time to prove myself.*"Upperclassman Kuno,I'll be glad to help you get rid of Saotome."Kuno nodded,"As well you should,for you could not hope to defeat Saotome on your own.I myself am puzzled as to how the cur is able to best me in combat.I shall tolerate his trickery no longer!"

Gosunkugi agreed with Kuno,although how one could be so deluded was beyond him.Akane would never date a pompous ass like Kuno,though he wasn't about to say anything of the matter.*Let Kuno think what he wants,once Saotome is gone,I will have Akane all to myself.I'll comfort her in her time of need,and what can she do,but fall madly in love with me!Besides,if Kuno doesn't like it,Akane can protect us both,should he try anything.*"Let us be off!I am sure you require a number of things to cast such a spell.""Yes,that's right.I saw a tome on summoning spells,I believe I'll need that as well."Kuno nodded and spoke,"I shall spare no expense to be rid of the wretch!Just do what you need to do,and I shall provide the moneys necessary for our divine task!"So,they left to find the means for their purpose.To say Saotome Ranma was in trouble,was an understatement.

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_Gohda____Castle___

_Japan__,16th__ Century_

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_"Well done,Rikimaru.This message from our borders seems quite urgent."Lord Gohda Matsunoshin turned away from his ninja to address his most trusted and loyal advisor,Naotada Sekiya."Ready our troops.It seems our neighbor looks upon us as though we were naught but another conquest.It falls upon us to quell his ambition and end the threat he represents to my people." Toda Yoshisada had left an heir to follow in his footsteps.Another bloodthirsty tyrant,whose ambition was rumored to surpass even his father's. Sekiya readily acknowledged his lord's order with a deep bow and left to bring together the war council.Strategy would be instrumental in repelling the enemy with as little losses as possible. _

The ninja Rikimaru was now alone with his lord,ready for further instructions. Lord Gohda then spoke to him, "Rikimaru… I grow tired of the constant bloodshed.It seems it has always been so,and yet,there is no choice but to fight if we are to protect those who would come to harm."Rikimaru looked on waiting for his lord to continue."… Even my own finance minister,and several corrupt merchants cause conflict within our lands.At least minister Kataoka chose an honorable death, rather than bring shame upon his family.""Yes Lord,I myself served as his second.He died a honorable death."Gohda nodded slightly and clasped his hands behind his back.He then turned to look through an open window of the 4th story floor they were in.A complex of several buildings was visible in the distance,well beyond the forest to the west of the border with hostile territories."Rikimaru,as you may already know,there have been several… incidents,in which the Manji cult is involved.Innocent villagers and several people have gone missing,and I fear for their fate.Rumor has it the leader of that cult is in possession of a stone with the power to twist peoples' minds and bodies."He paused for a moment, "It is imperative we recover such a stone,lest it remains with those who would use it for their own twisted purposes."Gohda then turned to face Rikimaru once again."I have sent Ayame to eliminate the foreign barbarians who were terrorizing our coastal villages.She will have her hands full for the time being.I need you to recover that stone… use any means necessary."

The ninja Rikimaru nodded once and voiced his acquiescence, "I shall infiltrate their temple at dusk,milord.It is best if I make ready for such a mission.""Very well,Rikimaru.You may want to go to our armory,I had our weapon smith put together a special ninja armor.It would prove quite useful,should you need added protection.""Thank you milord,I am most grateful."With that,the ninja left his lord and pondered his choice of equipment for the assigned mission.The Manji were well known for being a particularly violent cult.Some of the villagers in the area claimed that the cultists themselves had demonic minions and the likes.So,Rikimaru hurried to retrieve his weapons,and the armor.He wasn't about to take unnecessary chances.

…..

*Damn that Onikage…he dares to threaten Lord Gohda!*Rikimaru warily watched the demon Onikage leap away,his peals of laughter trailing after him.*At least I captured the stone.It will no longer serve evil purposes.*The corpse of the cultist leader lay behind Rikimaru in a pool of blood.Gutting someone to extract a magical stone usually tends to result in that.The fight was hopelessly one-sided and the ninja armor was simply extra weight.In the fight with Onikage though,it saved Rikimaru from some possibly fatal injuries.Onikage was very highly skilled.Though he usually fought barehanded,he often used concealed weapons to strike at unwary opponents.Even though the demon had clearly been overconfident,and had underestimated Rikimaru's abilities,he did have some right to brag about his abilities.Rikimaru had found himself hard pressed to keep himself alive during their brief fight.He was able to attack the demon though,even if he didn't do any significant damage.

Rikimaru headed back to GohdaCastle at a brisk pace.There was no real hurry,but given the ongoing conflicts all around their territory,it was best to be available on short notice.One could never be too cautious when danger lurked nearby.Onikage's threat on Lord Gohda was left hanging,and he seemed the type to enjoy following through with such threats.Pondering such thoughts,Rikimaru increased his pace toward the castle.

Upon his arrival at the gates,relief was evident on his features.No one had attacked the castle in his absence,and Lord Gohda was conducting a meeting with his armies' officers.It seemed that all was going as planned concerning the defense against the invading armies from Toda's lands.That was a relief.Rikimaru wasn't looking forward to another infiltration into enemy territories.Though he would lay his life for his lord without question,he still didn't look forward to highly suicidal missions.Not that he would never admit that to anyone.Specially not to Ayame,who wouldn't quit nagging him if he ever opened up about something like that.

What Rikimaru was really looking forward to was sparring with the wandering martial artist who claimed he wanted to learn as many existing styles as possible.He was particularly curious about ninjitsu,for some unknown reason.The little runt was pretty good in his own right,but couldn't beat the grandmaster of the Azuma Ninja Ryu.Rikimaru obviously used a wooden sword during their sparring; otherwise, his now regular sparring partner would have been long since dead.They had not sparred in about four days.All the latest missions had kept him quite occupied.Today they would spar once again.Some relaxation was in order after such toilsome missions.The lone figure of Rikimaru stood in the middle of the soldiers' training grounds,in wait.

The Azuma ninja warrior pondered the whereabouts of his "rival",wondering if he was ever going to show.*What would keep him this long?This is most unusual.Happi should show on time,he knows I cannot spare much of it… *Rikimaru was aching for a fight in which his life or his opponent's wasn't on the line.

Elsewhere in the castle grounds…Screams and crashes were heard as most of the female inhabitants of GohdaCastle embarked on a quest for the retrieval of their undergarments.A quest with the promise of violence for whoever had dared perpetrate the ladies' bath chambers.Justice would be swift!

Just as the grandmaster of the Azuma ninja gave up and was about to leave,he was encompassed by an unearthly glow.It seemed to come out of nowhere,as though the very earth beneath his feet were illuminating him.The trace of a complex diagram was clearly visible all around the ninja.Rikimaru franticly tried to leap away from his current position,but found he could not.He could not move at all.His eyes widened as he realized dark magic was upon him.Could it be that Onikage was trying to eliminate him in such a cowardly manner?Highly doubtful,but if not him,then who?Rikimaru had no time to ponder anymore thoughts on the one responsible for his current situation.The glowing patterns closed in on him and he was hidden from view,had anyone been watching.Unconsciousness claimed the ninja as he was transported to destinations unknown.

……..

Author's notes:

I know this is a short chapter,but bear with me!I am in need of C&C to know how I'm doing…Are the chapters too short?I know they could be longer,but I promise they will be if I can sense some interest on the readers' part.Otherwise,why bother?I love writing,but I also like to know how I'm doing.So c'mon,drop me a line or take the time to review!This story will be finished,but that'll happen a lot sooner if I have the readers' help.There,all done for chapter 2.Until next time then!


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